“I Didn’t know about you”
Until
Flying Solo
I heard your song
Singing to me
The sweet melody
Of “Ruby My Dear.”
I thought I had glimpsed
Something of heaven above;
I was so in love
With the
“Trinkle, Tinkle”
Of notes
On floats
Carrying chords of play sailing into the day
Like lights
Spinning ‘round
To “Epistrophy” heights
Up
Over
Beyond
Heady fueled trips
Into wistful reflections
Driven by flights
Of whimsical fantasy
To “Straight…” ways
And gateways
“Between the Devil and the Deep
Blue Sea.”
Through
To the “Underground’
Of the true “Blue
Monk”
I Didn’t know about you
About this being your story;
This being your song
“Praising the Savior all the day
long...”
Swinging on “Locomotive”
rhythms
“Off ‘F’ Minor”
With Coltrane’s tenor sax
Playing in back
To fly me to the moon
(Like when I hear Arthur Prysock croon)
I get “Nutty”
Gliding “Alone in San Francisco
Dreaming “Monk’s Dreams”
In “Light blue”
Off shore streams
From Riley drums and Gales bass modes
To wind-swept piano keys
Stirring …”No chaser”
In the mix of sweet water sifted
In the glass
Of a cool jazzed
“Japanese folk song”
Exploring
Tempos
And textures
Measured in rhythmic paces
And countered beats
Under the “Pannonica” tree
top
“In Action at the Five Spot”
“Round midnight”
Or “After Hours at Minton’s”
In the dim café light
Over coffee and cigarettes
Smoky hue.
I didn’t know about you
But now
“We see”
The thunder pops
The lightning shocks;
Waves rushing in
Against the tide
Of contemporary exhibitions.
With the inhibitions
Of “Well, You Needn’t”
Standing aside
“Crepuscule with Nellie”
To let the wind-storm
Come ashore
And blow
With the sand and seas
Under the tutelage
Of lithe fingers on piano keys
High and low
In red and blue degrees
Of syncopation and exploration
Into the deep
Improvisations
Twist
Up tempo
To break
And stop short
On some faraway cue.
I didn’t know about you
Even though
I heard you play
I knew your name.
But that was in another day
Long ago
When
I knew you when.
But since then
I came closer
Near
And put your fingertips
To my ear
When you called my name
Out loud
To hear
“Functional”s bluesy hymnal
Taking me back
To when I wuz
A girl barefooted in my backyard
In the southern Georgia dust.
I must
Replay it again and again
Like I do
With “Ruby My Dear.”
They bring you in so near -
Encircling the “Brilliant
Corners” of your ingenious mind.
“The Essential… “
“The Unique…”
“All the Things You Are.”
My Thelonious!
So this is
My song
To you
(Dedicated to Thelonious Monk)
Note: Light italics – Title of a musical number
Bold italics -- Title of album (in some cases may also be
a musical number)
